Keeping Strong
by ASGeekery
Summary: Both Gray and Lucy lost, and not in a regular way but in a very public and humiliating way. Seeing as they both found themselves taking it hard they found comfort in each other


Lucy took a step into the shower, feeling warm beads of precipitation latch onto her skin. She watched as the dirt and sand that coated her body slid away, swirling around the drain before disappearing. Running her fingertips along her arm, she felt the bruises begin to form and soon they would turn into a sticky purple hue against her pale skin. She closed the shower door and leaned her head against the tiled wall, tears streaming from her puffy red eyes down her cheeks. Her throat tightened as the temperature raised and steam begun to form, fogging up the glass door.

She had lost her match against Flare Corona. The thought of letting her team down was eating away at her. She knew her friends weren't angry at her, but it was still embarrassing to lose especially after her magic did not activate. She couldn't help that all her strength was gone after casting such a powerful spell, all she could hear was the laughter and cheers from the crowd as her body gave out, crashing into the sand beneath. She could feel so many eyes just staring at her fragile state, excited for Raven Tail's victory even though no one truly knew how Flare managed to cancel out her magic despite the fact she wasn't even defending herself

Lucy was at least thankful that Natsu managed to catch onto Flare's cheating ways to save Asuka who was watching from the side-lines, a sob escaped her lips as she steadied herself against the wall, her body trembling. She blinked away the tears from her eyes and saw the mark on her hand, the mark that showed she was with Fairy Tail. Without help, she would have had Raven Tail's brand covering the Fairy Tail mark that she worked so hard to obtain. She tilted her head back and let the water wash away the dirt and sand entwined within the blonde fibres.

She couldn't help but wonder if Gray was taking his battle just as hard, he had secluded himself away from the rest of the team despite their attempts to reassure him that everything was okay. Yet, she understood that the feeling of defeat was hard to overcome, the feeling of regret knowing that their friends had to work harder in order to regain some type of respect from the other teams and the world that they had been away from for so long. So many things had changed in Fiore, desperation kicked in and all Lucy wanted more than anything was for everything to go back to the way things were.

Lucy shock her head to be rid of the flashbacks, so he opened the shower door and reached for the towel she had placed on the rack. She stepped out and dried her body, hissing to herself when she touched a bruise or a sore patch of muscle. She found herself pondering if the other matches were fairing any better, or if Fairy Tail had even been chosen to compete again. Wrapping the towel around her chest, she walked out of the bathroom and into a small room she was sharing with her female friends. She dressed quickly, throwing on a black tank top and white skirt that clearly showed the abuse her body had taken and discarded the towel into a slowly growing pile of dirty laundry. With a sigh, Lucy stretched her body out, feeling the aches and the strain they had been under, she knew she had to straighten up.

She walked out of the girl's room and into the living room. The peace and quiet was comforting to her and she took a seat on one of the three chairs opposite the large windows that faced the town. The room was larger than the bedroom, three chairs placed around a small coffee table with a small plant in the middle. With her back slouched, she placed her head in her hands and let out another shaky sign.

''Still feeling down, huh?'' The masculine voice said.

Lucy was surprised that Gray was here, after all he was the one who helped her up after her horrific defeat

''You can talk'' she said, staring at her hands the rested on her lap. She hoped he couldn't see her puffy red eyes, as she lowered her head in hoped her hair would cover her face

Gray sighed and walked closer to the window, staring at his reflection that appeared on the glass. He glared at himself, still angry about losing. However, he promised that the next time he was chosen for a match, the opponent would not leave as the victor. He understood all too well how Lucy felt, he wanted to comfort her in some way because he knew she was taking her loss pretty hard. He felt sympathy when he watched her during the game as she curled into a foetal position, crying for all to see. He had been thankful that as he and Natsu ran to help her Erza grabbed Natsu so he could pick her up and escort her out

The atmosphere grew tense as Gray turned to face Lucy. He really didn't know how to help her when she was like this. Rescuing her from a fight was easy enough, but he never learned how to comfort a woman. The only real woman that he had interacted with on a daily basis was Ur, but she was his past

''I know it's annoying but you should at least make an appearance. Everyone is at the bar waiting for us.'' He walked past her and looked at her shaking shoulders.

That's when it hit him, Lucy was crying. He walked over to her and knelt in front of her, before he could say anything she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried the hardest she had ever cried

''I ... Let... everyone down'' she cried

''No'' he cursed

''Master should never have let me enter''

''That's not true'' he pleaded

Lucy pulled away her eyes and cheeks stained with tears and looked straight into his eyes

''Gray, I know it's true, your always having to save me in fights. I'm not a strong...''

Gray had no idea what to say to her, instead he grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her in as close as he could, he now understood why she took her fight so hard, this was her chance to prove to the guild, their family just how strong she really was and she had failed.

''Hey... It's Ok.''

Lucy looked up to witness that she wasn't the only one suffering, she watched as Gray succumbed to the lowest of his self confidence which made her feel horrible as she was taking her loss out of someone who felt just as bad as she was feeling.

''Come on, lets get some fresh air''

Lucy finally looked up at Gray, she was quickly well aware that neither of them wanted to be alone and yet they didn't have the courage to face the rest of their guild.

''Alright then'' she sighed

The pair left their suite for the night with a clear goal. They aimed at nothing but the slightest amount of distraction they could get from each other. Lucy kept a safe distance between them, as she didn't want people to misunderstand their little walk for a date. However guilt quickly took over as like herself Gray was there to calm his mind much like herself.

The pair walked past a small group of people, she thought she heard something so she stopped and looked around to notice two boys approaching at a considerable pace

''Hey Cutie!'' One of the boys said while the other grabbed Lucy's wrist with considerable force. ''How about we take a walk.''

''Let go!'' Lucy replied as she tried to yank her arm free, but the grip around her wrist was strong enough to hold her in place. ''I said, let go.''

Lucy was thankful that she didn't have to repeat herself as a fist came crashing into the boy's face sending him flying across the street

''I know you'' called one of the girls from the group. ''You're the guy who got creamed in the first round of the Grand Magic Games'' the group were now laughing so she continued to taunt the pair while laughing like a maniac

Lucy placed her hand on Gray's shoulder in hopes that it would calm him down. ''Their not worth it'' Lucy instinctively picked up his discarded coat from the floor and started to pull his elbow to get him away from the scene. ''Let's go'' She held onto Gray's arm in an attempt to get moving again.

The pair walked in silence as Lucy wrapped her arms around Gray's arm, however Lucy decided to break the silence.

''I know you're angry, but...''

''I'm sorry about that'' he apologised sincerely. ''I almost lost my cool back there''

''Almost?'' Lucy laughed softly at her friend's remark. ''You losing your cool sounds like a joke.'' Lucy covered her mouth with her free hand sniggering behind her fingers

''Why's that?''

''You're an ice mage dummy!'' she replied playfully. ''You're always cool'' Lucy quickly realised the double meaning and she didn't care if she was being misunderstood

Gray rubbed the back of his neck trying to hide his blush as they continued to walk.

''Well did I at least look cool?'' he finally asked not wanting to look at her

''Nope, you looked like a brute.''

Gray's jaw dropped as he felt the playful sting of the minor insult

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at Gray's reaction

''Do men realise that girls aren't into sweaty shirtless, muscled bodies who mainly fight over us'' Lucy could barely concentrate on walking due to her excessive laughing

''Ouch, you didn't need to go that far'' he laughed

''I couldn't help it.'' she laughed as she wiped a single tear from her eyes.

The pair went back to being silent, so Lucy looked up at the sky and she couldn't help but feel like the stars were greeting her. The night sky made her calm as it felt like she was home, in turn this helped to calm down Gray as well, but he couldn't help but notice a sadness in her eyes

''What's bothering you?'' he asked

''Never mind'' she sighed

''I don't buy it'' he said

Lucy sighed once again. ''You'll probably think I'm stupid

''Lucy, I know you are far from stupid, just tell me''

''I've been thinking about our loss again'' she confessed.

''To be honest I've been thinking about it as well. I just try not to let it show that easily.'' Gray admitted which allowed Lucy to lower her guard a little bit. ''I want to avoid it, but it keeps coming back, it's annoying trust me but I can't seem to get rid of these thoughts. I don't take defeat very well''

Lucy's expression softened. ''I don't actually see you lose very often, I just feel useless as I can't help but wonder if I drag you guys down.''

''I lose more battles than you realise.'' the ice mage shook his head. ''Well at least I know what's been bothering you now''

She nodded embarrassedly. ''You don't get it'' she sighed

''Then tell me''

''I'm always the damsel in distress, you guys always have to rescue me when I get trapped or held hostage and it just bothers me''

''I'll be the first to admit you may not be as strong as some of us but your not weak at all.'' Gray stated which caused Lucy to give him her full attention. ''If I compared myself to Erza, Laxus or even Gildarts, then I would feel the same, but it just makes me want to train harder so I can be as strong as them''

''You make a good point, plus they could so kick your arse''

''That's hurts me deeply'' he teased

''Thanks'' she smiled as she gently pushed him to the side

''Anytime'' he smiled back

Lucy's face light up with new hope as she continued to walk by Gray's side suddenly holding his arm a little tighter, she noticed just how warm the ice mage's arm felt against her skin

''Not always cool I guess'' she muttered a little louder than intended

''What was that?''

She couldn't help but chuckled in a flustered way, ''You heard nothing'' she smiled

The night fell in it's full glory bringing a chilling breeze with it. Lucy shivered a little making Gray feel his pride, since he was wearing nothing over his shirt. He looked at Lucy to see that his coat was folded over Lucy's arm, and he couldn't help but smile knowing that she was carrying it the whole time

Lucy stopped walking and decided to wear his jacket as she slit her arms into the sleeves. She stopped by a mirrored surface to check out how she looked

''I forget how tall you are sometimes'' Lucy spun round analysing the different angles of her body as she wore Gray's coat. ''So how do I look?'' she asked as she turned to face Gray

''I really want to take a picture of this'' he smiled

Lucy's face heated up as she wondered if she really did look good in coat that didn't belong to her nor fitted her body shape properly

''Natsu would never believe me If I told him about this''

''And you never will'' she pouted

''I don't need to say anything'' he smiled as he pointed at a large wooden sign, Lucy now looking petrified, looked through the window to see their friends from the guild staring at the pair

''Damn'' she hissed

Gray couldn't help but laugh as he opened the door for Lucy to go in first, she was still wearing Gray's coat as she tried to act natural but the stiffness in her walk was a dead giveaway

''Lu are you alright?'' asked Levy as she pushed her way through the lively bar

''Yeah I'm fine now, we just thought we stop by to say hi before we headed back'' replied Lucy as she glanced over to Gray and they both knew that neither of them wanted to be in the bar

''Alright then'' said Levy as she hugged her friend. ''Give me the details tomorrow, K?'' she then whispered

''Alright'' Lucy smiled back

The pair made a quick exit when Bacchus and the rest of Quatro Cerberus, showed up to join the festivities, they walked together as Lucy still wore Gray's coat with her arm holding onto his as they made small talk and laughed at various things as they headed back to the Guild's hotel

Lucy sat on the large sofa and kicked off her shoes, as Gray undid his shirt and lay down behind her, Lucy wiped her face the lay down next to him.

''Hey Gray'', Lucy said sleepily

''Yeah'' he responded as he closed his eyes not daring to look at the blonde lying next to him

''Thanks for tonight, you made me feel much better''

''Anytime, Lucy'' he smiled

Lucy and Gray were soon fast asleep, the noisy drunken Guild soon returned to find the pair out cold on the sofa in each others arms and fully dressed. Mira couldn't help but smile as she grabbed a nearby blanket as Erza threatened to skin anyone who woke up the pair forcing them all to retreat to their own beds

''They look so cute together'' muttered Mira as she locked up everything and switched the lights off before she too headed to the girls section of the hotel.


End file.
